U.S. patent number 9,183,688 [Application Number 14/184,195] was granted by the patent office on 2015-11-10 for characteristic verification system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to LaserLock Technologies Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is LaserLock Technologies Inc.. Invention is credited to Neil Alpert, Paul Donfried, Norman A. Gardner.
United States Patent |
9,183,688 |
Gardner , et al. |
November 10, 2015 |
Characteristic verification system
Abstract
Described is a characteristic verification system that includes
security marks, devices, systems and methods that may be used to
authenticate a material good and to provide strong brand
protection. A device, such as a smartphone, that includes a
software application, a camera and a light source, may be used to
interrogate the security mark and connect to remote servers to
authenticate the material good at varying levels of assurance. In
addition to authenticating the good, the system may also
authenticate the user and provide different information to
different users and/or limit information that is provided
unauthenticated users.
Inventors: |
Gardner; Norman A. (Bala
Cynwyd, PA), Alpert; Neil (Washington, DC), Donfried;
Paul (Richmond, MA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LaserLock Technologies Inc. |
Washington |
DC |
US |
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Assignee: |
LaserLock Technologies Inc.
(Washington, DC)
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Family
ID: |
51351208 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/184,195 |
Filed: |
February 19, 2014 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20140233842 A1 |
Aug 21, 2014 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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61766372 |
Feb 19, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07D
7/005 (20170501); G06K 7/1439 (20130101); G06K
19/00 (20130101); G07D 7/12 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06K
9/00 (20060101); G06K 19/00 (20060101); G07D
7/12 (20060101); G07D 7/00 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Gardner et al., U.S. Office Action mailed May 21, 2010, directed to
U.S. Appl. No. 10/596,028; 6 pages. cited by applicant .
Gardner et al., U.S. Office Action mailed Jan. 21, 2011, directed
to U.S. Appl. No. 10/596,028; 8 pages. cited by applicant .
Gardner et al., U.S. Office Action mailed Jan. 16, 2013, directed
to U.S. Appl. No. 13/099,498; 6 pages. cited by applicant .
International Search Report and Written Opinion mailed Aug. 9,
2005, directed to International Application No. PCT/US05/04579; 5
pages. cited by applicant .
Communication pursuant to Article 94(3) EPC dated Mar. 22, 2013,
directed to EP Application No. 05 713 481.9-1562; 5 pages. cited by
applicant .
Gardner et al., U.S. Office Action mailed Nov. 21, 2013, directed
to U.S. Appl. No. 14/028,131; 10 pages. cited by applicant .
Gardner et al., U.S. Office Action mailed Apr. 29, 2014, directed
to U.S. Appl. No. 14/028,131; 10 pages. cited by applicant .
Japanese Industrial Standards Committee, Divisional Council on
Basic Items. (Mar. 1, 1990). "Classification of Fluorescent Lamps
by Chromaticity and Colour Rendering Property," Japanese Industrial
Standard (JIS) Z 9112-1990: 1-7. cited by applicant .
Kamiya S. (1999). "Phosphors for lamps" Chapter 5--Section Two in
Phosphor Handbook. Phosphor Research Society, CRC Press, pp.
367-373. cited by applicant .
Gardner et al., U.S. Office Action mailed Sep. 11, 2014, directed
to U.S. Appl. No. 14/212,757; 6 pages. cited by applicant .
International Search Report and Written Opinion mailed Jun. 11,
2014, directed to International Application No. PCT/US2014/017196;
9 pages. cited by applicant .
International Search Report and Written Opinion mailed Aug. 7,
2014, directed to International Application No. PCT/US14/29425; 12
pages. cited by applicant .
International Search Report and Written Opinion mailed Aug. 4,
2014, directed to International Application No. PCT/US2014/23757; 9
pages. cited by applicant .
AlpVision. (2012). "Cryptograph Digital Security Solution,"
retrieved on May 27, 2014. Retrieved from
<http://www.alpvision.com/cryptoglyph-covert-marking.html>. 3
pages. cited by applicant .
Gardner et al., U.S. Office Action mailed Feb. 18, 2015, directed
to U.S. Appl. No. 14/212,757; 7 pages. cited by applicant .
Alpert et al., U.S. Office Action mailed Jun. 23, 2015, directed to
U.S. Appl. No. 14/049,776; 14 pages. cited by applicant.
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Primary Examiner: Chu; Randolph I
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Morrison & Foerster LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application
Ser. No. 61/766,372, filed Feb. 19, 2013, the entire contents of
which are incorporated herein.
Claims
What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters
Patent of the United States is:
1. A method of authenticating a material good comprising:
illuminating a security mark associated with a material good using
a light source of an image capture device, wherein the security
mark comprises: a first object that is invisible to the human eye
but becomes visible to the human eye when illuminated by the light
source of the image capture device, and a second object that is
invisible to the human eye and remains invisible to the human eye
when illuminated by the light source of the image capture device;
capturing an image of the security mark associated with the
material good using a camera of the image capture device;
transmitting the image of the security mark to a characteristic
verification system; and receiving from the characteristic
verification system information concerning the authenticity of the
material good.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the security mark can be viewed
in a display of the image capture device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the light source of the image
capture device comprises an LED.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the security mark comprises
machine readable information.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the machine readable information
is encrypted.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first object is a target area
for aiming the light source and camera of the image capture
device.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the image capture device is a
mobile device.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is a
smartphone, laptop, or tablet PC.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the security mark is affixed to
the material good.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the security mark is affixed to
packaging materials or shipping materials of the material good.
11. A method of authenticating a material good comprising:
authenticating a user of a mobile device; illuminating a security
mark associated with a material good using a light source of the
mobile device, wherein the security mark comprises: a first object
that is invisible to the human eye but becomes visible to the human
eye when illuminated by the light source of the mobile device, and
a second object that is invisible to the human eye and remains
invisible to the human eye when illuminated by the light source of
the mobile device; capturing an image of the security mark
associated with the material good using a camera of the mobile
device; transmitting the image of the security mark to a
characteristic verification system; and receiving from the
characteristic verification system information concerning the
authenticity of the material good.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein a user identity is determined
when authenticating the user and the information concerning the
authenticity of the material good depends on the identity of the
user.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the user is authenticated using
a username/password, gesture, or image recognition.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the user is authenticated using
a fingerprint, a voice, a retina image, or facial recognition.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the security mark can be viewed
in a display of the mobile device.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein the light source of the mobile
device comprises an LED.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein the security mark comprises
machine readable information.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the machine readable
information is encrypted.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first object is a target
area for aiming the light source and camera of the mobile
device.
20. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile device is a
smartphone, laptop, or tablet PC.
21. The method of claim 11, wherein the security mark is affixed to
the material good.
22. The method of claim 11, wherein the security mark is affixed to
packaging materials or shipping materials of the material good.
23. A substrate comprising a security mark on the substrate, the
security mark that is not visible to the human eye, but can be
detected by an image capture device, wherein the security mark
comprises a first object that is invisible to the human eye but
becomes visible to the human eye when illuminated by a light source
of the image capture device, and a second object that is invisible
to the human eye and remains invisible to the human eye when
illuminated by the light source of the image capture device.
24. The substrate of claim 23, wherein the security mark comprises
machine readable information.
25. The substrate of claim 24, wherein the machine readable
information is encrypted.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to authentication for authenticating
material goods. More particularly, the present invention relates to
security marks, devices, systems and methods that may be used to
authenticate a material good and to provide strong brand
protection.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional anti-counterfeiting solutions, such as holograms,
ultraviolet (UV) ink and radio frequency identification (RFID) are
proving ineffective at thwarting counterfeiters. Counterfeiting of
material goods is accelerating and now affects a variety of
material goods including medicines, foods, semiconductors, retail
goods, parts, and components used in the manufacture of military
equipment, automobiles, etc. Most conventional anti-counterfeiting
solutions, such as holograms, have themselves been counterfeited.
The criminal producing the counterfeit product simply applies the
counterfeit holograms to fully mimic the appearance of the
authentic product.
In addition, conventional anti-counterfeiting solutions that rely
on restricted knowledge as part of the security profile also have
limitations. These solutions require specialized tools for
inspection and authentication and can be compromised either by
gaining access to the tool or compromising any individual with
access to the tool.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Described are systems, devices, and methods for authenticating
material goods. The systems can take advantage of the proliferation
of computing devices that incorporate a digital camera and an
artificial light source in order to authenticate goods using a
covert security mark. The systems may use steganography and other
cryptographic techniques in order to increase security, restrict
knowledge, and improve the resiliency of the system. The system can
also provide additional features by allowing for the authentication
of a user performing the authentication, which improves the
resiliency of the system and facilitates the presentation of richer
information about the material good and its pedigree for
appropriately authorized users of the system.
In addition to real-time authentication, the system can also
establish, monitor and verify the pedigree through out the supply
and demand chains for the entire lifecycle of the material
goods.
An image capture device incorporating the camera and light source
may include a specialized application that is used to capture
specific characteristics included in the product and/or its
packaging. These characteristics are then transmitted to a separate
on-line service where cryptographic techniques are used to
interpret and authenticate the characteristics. Based on the
identity of the user performing the authentication of the material
good, certain information is passed back to the image capture
device and presented to the user.
Some embodiments include methods of authenticating a material good
by illuminating a security mark associated with a material good
using a light source of an image capture device, wherein the
security mark is not visible to the human eye; capturing an image
of the security mark associated with the material good using a
camera of the image capture device; transmitting the image of the
security mark to a characteristic verification system; and
receiving from the characteristic verification system information
concerning the authenticity of the material good.
The security mark may be viewed in a display of the image capture
device. The light source of the image capture device may include an
LED. The security mark may include machine readable information.
The machine readable information may be encrypted. In addition, a
target area may be marked for aiming the light source and camera of
the image capture device. The image capture device may be a mobile
device. The mobile device may be a smartphone, laptop, or tablet
PC.
The security mark may be affixed to the material good. The security
mark may be affixed to packaging materials or shipping materials of
the material good.
Some embodiments include methods of authenticating a material good
by authenticating a user of a mobile device; illuminating a
security mark associated with a material good using a light source
of the mobile device, wherein the security mark is not visible to
the human eye; capturing an image of the security mark associated
with the material good using a camera of the mobile device;
transmitting the image of the security mark to a characteristic
verification system; and receiving from the characteristic
verification system information concerning the authenticity of the
material good.
In some embodiments, a user identity may be determined when
authenticating the user and the information concerning the
authenticity of the material good depends on the identity of the
user. The user may be authenticated using a username/password,
gesture, or image recognition. The user may also be authenticated
using a fingerprint, a voice, a retina image, or facial
recognition.
The security mark may be viewed in a display of the mobile device.
The light source of the mobile device may include an LED. The
security mark may include machine readable information. The machine
readable information may be encrypted. In addition, a target area
may be marked for aiming the light source and camera of the mobile
device. The mobile device may be a smartphone, laptop, or tablet
PC.
The security mark may be affixed to the material good. The security
mark may be affixed to packaging materials or shipping materials of
the material good.
Some embodiments include an image containing a security mark that
is not visible to the human eye, but can be detected by an image
capture device. The security mark may include machine readable
information. The machine readable information may be encrypted.
Additional advantages of this invention will become readily
apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed
description. As will be realized, this invention is capable of
other and different embodiments, and its details are capable of
modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing
from this invention. Accordingly, the examples and description are
to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as
restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates the major components of one embodiment of a
characteristic verification system;
FIG. 2 illustrates a product including a security mark according to
embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile device, such as a
smartphone, that functions as an image capture device;
FIG. 4 illustrates the major components of an embodiment of a
mobile application system;
FIG. 5 illustrates the major components of a characteristic
verification system (CVS).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Described is a characteristic verification system that includes
security marks, devices, systems and methods that may be used to
authenticate a material good and to provide strong brand
protection. A device, such as a smartphone, that includes a
software application, a camera, and a light source may be used to
interrogate the security mark and connect to remote servers to
authenticate the material good at varying levels of assurance. In
addition to authenticating the good, the system may also
authenticate the user and provide different information to
different users and/or limit information that is provided
unauthenticated users.
FIG. 1 illustrates the major components of one embodiment of a
characteristic verification system. A product 1 is being inspected
for authenticity through the verification of certain
characteristics. In this particular embodiment the product is a
medicine bottle as might be used by a pharmaceutical manufacturer
for packaging and distribution of proprietary medicines.
Counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products is rampant and poses
substantial safety, health, and economic risks to consumers,
patients, health care professionals, the manufacturer, and anyone
involved in their supply and demand chains. While this embodiment
illustrates the product as medicine, this invention can be used
with any material goods--paper, plastic, rubber, vinyl, metal, auto
parts, retail products, currency, etc.
The product incorporates multiple characteristics intended to
establish its authenticity; some of these are overt and are readily
perceived by the human senses without requiring any special tools,
knowledge or equipment. As an example, the manufacturers name and
logo may be printed on the product. The product also contains
multiple covert characteristics, such as the security mark
described herein. The covert security marks do require special
tools, equipment and/or knowledge to be inspected and
authenticated. The security marks need not interfere with any other
product characteristics and can be applied directly to the product
itself, or to the packaging and/or shipping materials.
In FIG. 1 a mobile device 2 is illustrated. A user 3 can use the
mobile device 2 to authenticate a product 1. The mobile device
incorporates software that is part of the system, to capture
authentication information about the user and the product. The
mobile includes a camera and specialized light source, such as a
LED light. The mobile device is configured to communicate with a
characteristic verification system 4. In addition to interfaces for
the mobile device 2, the characteristic verification system may
also include additional external interfaces, for example, to
systems maintained by product manufactures and entities within the
product's supply chain.
Following is additional information on components within the
characteristic verification system.
Security Marks
The system and security marks may utilize ISO 12931 compliant overt
and covert characteristics. The security marks may be applied
directly to the material good, or to packaging or shipping
materials associated with the material goods.
The security mark may be partially or entirely invisible to the
human eye, under typical ambient lighting conditions. For example,
the mark may be formed using ink that is not visible when exposed
to incandescent lighting, and/or fluorescent lighting. In some
embodiments, the mark may be designed to become visible when
exposed to a light source on an image capture device, such as a LED
light source or other specialty light source that may be part of a
mobile device. The wavelength of light that the security mark may
become visible can be chosen depending upon the typical ambient
lighting conditions and exposure of the light source of the mobile
device. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,939,239; 6,861,012; 6,813,011; 6,483,576;
6,672,718 describe some systems, methods and inks that may be
used--the descriptions of these patents are hereby incorporated by
reference in their entirety.
This is done by selecting specific materials used in the
formulation of the ink. Different inks can be formulated for
specific material goods based on the uses of those material goods,
for instance whether they are typically used in hospitals or in
outdoor environments. In some embodiments, the mark may be designed
to remain non-obvious to the human eye when exposed to the light
source on the mobile device. Even in environments where the ambient
light is the same type as the image capture device, the light
source on the image capture device may be focused in a specific
direction, substantially brighter and typically much closer to the
product. This difference in intensity can be used to hide or reveal
specific characteristics.
The two limitations of the human eye that can be leveraged to
insure characteristics remain invisible are spectral response and
resolution. Characteristics can emit light at wavelengths either
below or above the range the un-aided human eye can
perceive--either ultra-violet or infra-red wavelengths.
Characteristics can also be applied that emit light within the
visible spectrum, however the characteristics can be so small
relative to the surrounding visible characteristics that they are
undetectable to the human eye without significant magnification
which would require a specialized tool.
The security mark may be or include a cryptographic object. The
camera and light source on a mobile device may be used to capture,
and transmit an image of the security mark to an external
Characteristic Verification System (CVS). The CVS then may use
restricted knowledge to decrypt the security mark's cryptographic
object. The cryptographic object can be used by the CVS to
authenticate the product, and/or determine a unique product
identifier linked to the product. For example, the cryptographic
object can be any machine-readable information, such as a bar code,
matrix code, characters that can be optically recognized, or an
optically recognizable image. The machine-readable information may
be encrypted using secret keys securely protected within the
characteristic verification system.
FIG. 2 illustrates a product including a security mark according to
embodiments of the invention. A base product 5 incorporates
multiple overt and covert characteristics such as a security mark.
The covert security mark does not interfere with any other existing
characteristics of the product and these other existing
characteristics do not interfere with the security mark.
Reference number 6 illustrates the product under a condition where
a specialized light source illuminates a `target` area 7 on the
product, which may allow the security mark to become visible to the
human either directly or when viewed with an image capture device.
Typically the security mark would be invisible to the human eye
under natural light, however under illumination by a specialized
light source and viewed through the mobile application it would be
visible. The `target` 7 provides the user an object to which the
user can aim the camera.
Reference number 8 illustrates the product containing a security
mark 9, such as a cryptographic characteristic. Typically, this
characteristic would be invisible to the un-aided human eye and may
also be invisible to the user utilizing the inspection device (the
mobile device). In this embodiment the cryptographic characteristic
is co-located with the `target` 7, so when the user has pointed the
camera at the `target` an image can be captured that also reveals
the cryptographic information, although this may not be obvious to
the human eye.
In FIG. 2, the cryptographic characteristic is machine-readable
information, which may or may not be visible to the un-aided human
eye. In this particular embodiment a standard bar code is used;
however any machine readable format can be used, including marks
that require optical character recognition, image recognition, etc.
The machine-readable information may be encrypted using secret keys
securely protected within the characteristic verification
system.
Some of the relevant parts of the characteristic verification
system are further detailed below.
Image Capture Device
The image capture device includes a CPU and memory for running a
software application, a camera and a light source. The image
capture device also includes a communication interface configured
to communicate with an external server device via the internet or
other common or proprietary wired or wireless protocol. The image
capture device may also include a display and a data entry portion.
The display and data entry portion may be one and the same in the
case of a touch screen or different, for example a display and a
keyboard.
The image capture device may be a mobile device such as a
smartphone, laptop, tablet PC, etc. However, the image capture
device does not need to be a mobile device and can be a stationary
device, such as a PC. Further, the image capture device may be a
single device or multiple devices--for example a PC or mobile
device connected to a camera and/or other peripherals.
FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile device, such as a
smartphone, that functions as an image capture device. In FIG. 3,
the front of the mobile device 10 includes a front facing camera 12
and a display 13. The rear of the mobile device 11 includes a rear
facing camera 14 and a specialized light source 15, such as an LED
light. The mobile device also includes a bus 16 that interconnects
the components. A central processing unit 17 is used to run mobile
application software that is part of the mobile device and the
security platform. The software can either come preloaded onto a
memory of the device, such as a flash memory device, or can be
downloaded or otherwise added onto a memory of the device at a
later time. Display 18 is a touch-screen, also allowing for data
entry. If the display is not a touch screen, the device must
provide some other interface for data entry.
The mobile device includes a front facing camera 19. The front
facing camera may be used to authenticate a user using the mobile
application. For example, an image of the user may be taken and
used for biometric facial recognition by the CVS to authenticate
the user. In embodiments where other user authentication mechanisms
are used, a front facing camera may not be used.
The mobile device includes a specialized light source. By
specialized we refer to a light source other than natural light or
thermal light such as incandescent light. Preferably, the light
source is different than ambient lighting in which the security
mark is typically displayed. This particular embodiment of the
invention assumes a white LED (light emitting diode) light source,
which is commonly used on mobile smartphones. However, other
specialized light sources may be used. The light source is used
with the rear facing camera 22 on the device. The rear facing
camera 22 is used in conjunction with the light source to capture
still images and/or video of the product. The mobile device also
includes a wireless data interface 21, which is used to allow the
mobile application software running on the mobile device to
communicate with the external CVS.
Application
The application, such as a mobile application stored on a memory of
a mobile device, can be used to authenticate a material good using
the security mark described above. The mobile application uses the
mobile device to capture an image of the security mark and transmit
the captured image to the CVS.
The mobile application can be used to authenticate the user before
performing any authentication of material goods. Authentication of
the human user allows the system to provide different levels of
authentication assurance and different types of authentication
information. For example, this may allow the system to provide
different information to different users, provide different
information to authenticated users than non-authenticated users
and/or only provide information to authenticated users. For
simplicity, the presented embodiment of the invention assumes the
end user will be authenticated; however that is not a requirement
of the invention, it merely allows for illustrate some of the more
advanced benefits that can be derived from using user
authentication. In some embodiments, the system may support
anonymous use, in which case no user authentication is required.
The software application may utilize an open architecture that can
support a variety of authentication mechanisms and combinations of
human authentication mechanisms, such as: Username/Password,
gestures, image recognition, etc. Physical Tokens--Smart Cards, OTP
devices, etc. Biometrics--fingerprint, voice, retina, facial
recognition, etc.
As part of the user authentication process, contextual information
may also be captured by the mobile application. Examples include an
image of the user, a date/time stamp, geo-location coordinates,
network information, etc.
Once the system has authenticated the user, the mobile application
allows the user to capture an image of the concealed writing
characteristic. The mobile device light source may be used to
excite a mark which is not visible by the human eye. Once the user
aligns this mark within a target area the mobile app confirms the
image has been successfully captured.
The mobile application then securely transmits the image to the
Characteristic Verification System (CVS).
FIG. 4 illustrates the major components of a mobile application
system. A mobile application system 23 is software that runs on the
mobile device platform and is stored on a memory of the mobile
device. This embodiment of the invention assumes the mobile
application system will run on a variety of devices including
tablets, phones, personal digital assistants, etc. from different
manufacturers. Different applications may be used for different
platforms. While the functionality will remain the same for
different platforms the application may need to be written in
multiple languages to support different manufactures platforms. The
application system includes API's 24 (application programming
interfaces) for authenticating a user. While this embodiment of the
invention uses biometric facial recognition as the authentication
mechanism, the software may incorporate an open architecture and
can implement industry standard protocols so that any available
authentication mechanisms can be used. These API's are responsible
for determining the identity of the user.
The application system also includes API's 25 for communicating
with external identity providers. While this embodiment of the
invention illustrates the use of external identity providers the
invention works equally well with an internal identity provider to
the characteristic verification system. An identity provider is
responsible for upfront identity proofing of the user, registering
one or more electronic credentials with the users and responding to
electronic authentication requests where the registered credentials
are used to confirm the authenticity of the user.
API's 26 are for controlling the front facing camera to capture
both still images and/or video of the users to be used in
authenticating the user with an identity provider. API's 27 are for
controlling the light source, turning on, turning off, varying
intensity and strobe effects. API's 28 are for controlling the rear
facing camera, which is used, in conjunction with the light source
to capture still images and/or video of the product.
API's 29 are the user interface which manages all interaction with
the user including, but not limited to presentation of information,
interrogation of the user, administration and targeting of the
camera on the product. API's 30 are for data communication and are
used by the mobile application to communicate with the
characteristic verification system.
Characteristic Verification System (CVS)
The CVS is an external system that may include one or more
computers and systems. After receiving the image of the security
mark, the CVS is able to decrypt concealed writing within a
cryptographic object of the security mark to reveal a unique
product identifier.
This unique product identifier can be linked, for instance
utilizing a database, to additional manufacturer information such
as Serial number, date of manufacturer, expiry date, Batch number,
Lot number, registered owner, etc. The CVS, based on the
authenticated user's authorization role, specific to that product,
determines what information to deliver back to the mobile app for
presentation to the user. The CVS may support multiple levels of
authorization, for example, Anonymous, Consumer, Commercial and
Government, etc.
In addition to providing authentication information to the user of
the image capture device, the CVS can also provide authentication
transaction information back to the manufacturer or other member of
the supply chain. This information can include, for example:
Successful authentication transactions, identifying the user,
date/time, location, image of authentic product, etc. Unsuccessful
authentication transactions, identifying the user, date/time,
location, image of counterfeit product, etc. Aborted and other
unsuccessful transactions.
FIG. 5 illustrates the major components of a characteristic
verification system (CVS) 31. In this particular embodiment of the
CVS, the CVS includes hardware and software that runs on Internet
connected servers that can either be centralized or
distributed.
The CVS includes administrative interface component 32. This
component includes user interfaces, which allow administrators to
administer all components of the system. Strict access controls
limit administration to specific individuals and separation of
duties is implemented consistent with security best practices.
Complete logs and audit trails are maintained for all aspects of
the system including all administrator actions.
The CVS includes a universal unique identifier (MID) manager 33.
This component is responsible for instantiation, lookup, encryption
and decryption of unique identifiers that can be associated with
each individual product to be authenticated. One of the advantages
of some embodiments of invention is that used as an
anti-counterfeiting solution, the embodiments can uniquely
authenticate individual products. For example, a manufacturer may
produce 10,000 identical products. An invisible, unique
characteristic(s) can be applied to each individual product as part
of the standard manufacturing process, typically with no new
equipment required. The UUID's is completely managed and maintained
within the CVS. Un-encrypted forms of the UUID can only be made
available to the manufacturer to whose products they have been
assigned. In all other instances, the UUID may only exist as an
encrypted object. The algorithm's used for encryption and
decryption can be reversible and resilient, however any algorithm's
that meet these criteria can be used including symmetric key,
asymmetric key and public key infrastructure. Individual
manufacturers could specify their preferred encryption
algorithms.
Product API's 34 are used by the manufacturer and others to whom
they delegate authority to access the CVS's services from computers
that may be remote. The CVS may not maintain any product
information other than the UUID. The UUID allows the manufacturer
to create a link to the specific product information they maintain
such as date of manufacture, expiration date, registered owned,
batch #, lot #, etc. When the user requests authentication of a
material good via the mobile device and the CVS has successfully
completed the authentication, the manufacturer, based on the
identity of the user, can determine what authentication information
should be presented.
A key management component 35 is responsible for managing the
cryptographic key material used for encryption and decryption of
the UUID's. Both hardware and software is used to securely protect
the key material. This may include tamper-proof and tamper-evident
hardware within which the key material is generated and used. Key
material may not exist outside of this specialized hardware.
Product user interfaces 36 are provided to allow the manufacturer's
employees, and other whom they may delegate authority to, to
directly access and manage the CVS settings and controls specific
to the manufacturer and their diversity of products and
characteristics. Different characteristics can be added, removed,
enabled, disabled, etc.
Operational interfaces 37 are provided to allow production support
and operations personnel to manage the system, respond to problems
and correct deficiencies and anomalies. Access controls limit the
use of these interfaces to specifically named individuals and
separation of duties are implemented consistent with security best
practices.
The printing API's 38 allow manufacturing systems to integrate with
the CVS and interface with its services. Existing printers already
in place in the manufacturing process can access the CVS in
real-time to obtain characteristic information that can immediately
be applied to the product. In this particular embodiment, the
encrypted universal unique identifier (UUID), or a list of UUID's,
can be obtained by the manufacturing systems so that, for instance,
high speed ink jet printers, that are already used in the
manufacturing process can be used to apply these characteristics.
In other embodiments of the invention, a myriad of other uses for
these API's can be implemented.
The identity provider (IDP) API's 39 are used during the
authentication of the user using the mobile device. Internal,
external, single or multiple IDP's may be supported. When the user
operating the mobile device invokes the mobile application, an
authentication protocol, specified by the IDP, may be utilized to
identity the user. An anonymous mode may also be supported. This
mode does not require authentication of the user. In anonymous
mode, when an authentic product is being verified, the product
API's are utilized to determine if the manufacturer supports this
mode prior to any authentication information being presented to the
user.
Printing user interfaces 40 are exposed to allow employees or
delegates of the manufacturer to directly interact with the CVS and
setup, administer and manage various services associated with
support of real-time characteristic printing.
Mobile API's 41 support integration with the mobile application
system. Mobile applications are registered to specific devices and
authenticate to the CVS at the start of a session.
This invention will be better understood with reference to the
following examples, which are intended to illustrate specific
embodiments within the overall scope of the invention.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
A Consumer Succeeding in Authenticating a Retail Product
Alice receives her mail order discount medications. She is excited
to find a source for the same name brand medications she used to
buy locally, but at almost half of the cost. Her one concern is
whether they are actually the same. The website claims they are the
same `DOZE-NOW` sleeping pills manufactured by `ACME
PHARMACEUTICALS` but she wants to make sure.
The `ACME PHARMACEUTICALS` website indicates that all of their
products incorporate special anti-counterfeiting technology which
can be used by the consumer to verify the authenticity of the
products. The `ACME` website provides complete instructions on the
steps needed to perform this verification.
First Alice is asked to enter either her email address or her phone
number. ACME's website indicates either of these would be used to
deliver a message to her smartphone with a URL for downloading an
app. The app would allow Alice to verify the authenticity of any of
ACME's products.
Alice enters her phone number and almost immediately her smart
phone beeps, indicating a new text message. Alice opens the text
message. It is from ACME and it includes a URL. When she clicks on
the URL a message was displayed asking her if she wants to download
an app called "INSPECTOR". She clicks `Yes` and the app starts
downloading to her smartphone. It takes about 10 seconds for the
app to download and then it launches itself.
The `INSPECTOR` app said it can operate in 2 modes--anonymous or
authentic. In anonymous mode she does not need to identify herself,
but can only authenticate 3 products a day. In authentic mode, she
needs to register her identity, but then has no limits on the
number of items she can authenticate. Alice decides to start in the
anonymous mode.
Next, the app says that her camera window would appear and the
light (flash) on her smart phone would turn on. She is supposed to
find the "TARGET" word on the product and center it within the
camera window. She is doubtful this is going to work as she cannot
see the word `TARGET` anywhere on medication. The app has a
`CONTINUE` button that she presses.
As soon as she presses the `CONTINUE` button the flash on her phone
lights up continuously and much to her amazement when she points it
at the label on her medication--the word "TARGET" is visible in
bright blue on her smart phone. She centers the smart phone and
moves it closer so the word "TARGET" filling up the whole
rectangle. Then the screen flashes and a message
"Authenticating--please wait" appears. In about 5 seconds this was
replaced by the message "Genuine DOZE-NOW produced by ACME
PHARMACEUTICALS has been authenticated.
Example 2
A Consumer Failing in Authenticating a Retail Product
About a month later Alice receives her first medications from a new
website she had found that is even less expensive than the first
website. Naturally the first thing she does is to get her smart
phone to verify the authenticity of the medicines.
This time, however, after the smartphone light comes on she cannot
see the word "TARGET" on her smart phone. After about 30 seconds
the app asks her if she is having trouble seeing the word
"TARGET"--she clicks yes. The app tells her to try and get the
entire label within the camera window and then click the "FINISH"
button.
Alice gets the entire label centered in the camera window and then
hits "FINISH". A message appears saying "Authenticating--please
wait". In about 5 seconds, this message is replaced by another one
saying "This product cannot be authenticated. It is highly likely
it is counterfeit. May we provide this information to ACME
PHARMACEUTICALS". Alice clicks OK and a new message is displayed
"This information has been provided to ACME PHARMACEUTICALS, would
you like a representative to call you and help replace the
counterfeit product?". Alice hits OK and is relieved she did not
take any of the new medication yet. In about a minute, her smart
phone rings and when she answers she hears a friendly voice say "Hi
I'm with Acme Pharmaceuticals and we're so glad you used the
"INSPECTOR", you've haven't taken any of this medication yet have
you?
Example 3
A Product Detailer for a Pharmaceutical Company Succeeding in
Authenticating a Controlled Substance Medicine
Bob, works for ACME PHARMACEUTICAL as a detailer. Part of his
responsibilities, include verifying that controlled substance
medications, which his company supplies are authentic and not near
their expiration date.
Today, Bob is in WALBROWNS PHARMACY and one of the assistants
behind the pharmacy counter is helping inspect ACME medications.
The assistant hands him a bottle of the company's cholesterol
reducing medication NOSITOR. Bob launches the INSPECTOR app and it
immediately authenticates him, first via facial recognition using
the smart phones front facing camera and second by requesting he
enter his PIN. These authentication mechanisms were specified by
Bob's employer ACME and are required every time he uses the
inspector app. As soon as Bob successfully authenticates himself,
the INSPECTOR camera window appears and the Flash light turns
on.
Bob points the smart phone at the label on the bottle of NOSITOR
and immediately the TARGET logo is visible on his smart phone. He
lines it up in the camera window and instantly sees a message
"Authenticating--please wait". In about 5 sec, this message is
replaced with a window providing Bob with the following
information: Genuine NOSITOR authenticated Expiration
date=8/30/2012--OK Batch #527-4658 Lot #7314 Distributor=Macwesson
Retailer=WALBROWNS PHARMACY
Bob hands the medicine back to the Assistant, who hands him the
next bottle.
Example 4
A Product Detailer for a Pharmaceutical Company Failing in
Authenticating a Controlled Substance Medicine
Bob is now at DON'S DISCOUNT DRUGS, a retailer that ACME has been
having problems with. In Bob's last 2 visits to DON'S 44 bottles of
counterfeit NOSITOR were found and an investigation is in
progress.
Bob says hi to the Pharmacist and he starts handing Bob packages of
NOSITOR to verify. Bob launches the INSPECTOR app and it
immediately authenticates him, first via facial recognition using
the smart phones front facing camera and second by requesting he
enter his PIN. As soon as Bob successfully authenticates himself,
the INSPECTOR camera window appears and the Flash light turns
on.
Bob points the smart phone at the label on the bottle of NOSITOR
and the first thing he notices is that no TARGET logo appears on
his smart phone. Bob taps the screen and a MANUAL AUTHENTICATION
button appears. Bob taps it and about 5 seconds later the following
message appears: Authentication FAILED--Image & Geolocation
have been recorded PLEASE SEIZE COUNTERFEIT PRODUCT
Bob shows the screen to the Pharmacist and says "We have a
problem".
The above description is presented to enable a person skilled in
the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the
context of a particular application and its requirements. Various
modifications to the preferred embodiments will be readily apparent
to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined
herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, this
invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown,
but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the
principles and features disclosed herein.
* * * * *
References